T.G.I. McMorgan's
Via City Desk, the Adams Morgan Tavern Moratorium passed. I can understand how they might think this is going to solve all of Adams Morgan's problems - and trust me, I'd love to see Tom Tom, Chloe, and Grand Central go the way of the dodo - but ultimately it's just another myopic agenda that will ultimately erode, if not destroy, the only remaining legitimate neighborhood bars. I wish Jim Graham would fight for small businesses in Adams Morgan as much as he fought for the Target and Best Buy in Columbia Heights. (It baffles me that this douche can run unopposed.) But instead of going out to your neighborhood bar, like Pharmacy Bar, you'll be stuck having a beer at the bar of Ruby Tuesday, just because Pharmacy couldn't meet their food sales [note: I have no idea which bars already have tavern licenses, but you get the idea].
I would love to be completely incensed by this, but it's just another in a long line of disappointments brought forth by the DC government. To say that I'm jaded would be a tremendous understatement. They should go ahead and change the DC motto from whatever it is now ("Gimme your money, bitch"?) to "DC: Remember when it used to be fun?" I'm starting to think I should have moved away when I had the chance.
RCR
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Response: washington dc
Reader Comments (8)
When I first moved to DC I lived in Adams Morgan. It was crazy loud; I hated it. So, guess what I did? I MOVED. The neighborhood I live in now is very sleepy and I love it.
My point is, I didn't even consider asking the government to fix my problem. I took care of it myself.
It seems that the people quoted in the WaPo article are the ones that helped make the neighborhood what it is. What did they think was going to happen?
I can't wait for my new "Give me your money, bitch" plates.
I've lived in Adams Morgan since 1995. I'm thankful, at least for now, that the tavern moratorium passed. We've had a proliferation of shit bars (see T.S. Muttly, and the examples RCR raised) with the demise of non-alcohol centered businesses. The print edition of the Post actually had a listing and map of the current taverns and the pending taverns...I guess I should pity the assholes who were running their bars illegally as restaurants, but somehow I just can't find the motivation. Maybe they should open earlier and serve more food so people might think they were operating as what they claim to be...
On the other hand, even though Adams Morgan makes its money off the MD and VA suburban jackasses, I still don't see a Ruby Tuesday's on 18th Street as a result of this moratorium.
Adams Morgans bars by and large suck already (with very few exceptions).
Do you know the status of the Bar? I hope it's in the clear.
Rock Creek Rambler for City Council!
Hey, there's already a Ruby Tuesday in Columbia Heights. I'm just saying that DC, or at least Ward 1, is becoming less small-business-friendly.
The Bar has CR license, and thus will be affected. Here's the list of licenses:
http://abra.dc.gov/abra/frames.asp?doc=/abra/lib/abra/abralicensedatabase.pdf
Of course, I should hold off on bitching until we see what happens. I suspect the District will spend millions auditing, and then do zero enforcement. That's about par for DC.
the weekend bar scene in amorg has taken a dive (pun intended) in recent years. weeknights at places like reef or toledo or asylum can still be cool, i'm indifferent to the moratorium, mostly because i walk a few extra blocks now down to U st.
I'll just say that I think most cities try to enact these "restrictions" on bars for their own personal reasons (prevent smoking, prevent 'adult' establishments, etc.) - and the business owners always find a way around it.
They'll figure out how to circumvent it, and I'll predict this won't affect them one bit at the end of the day.